On the Run
by rippa rias
Summary: Among the last of your kind and hunted. How long will you last?


So this is just a little drabble I typed out _years_ ago. I was probably in early high school or maybe even middle school. I dont remember (I dont even remember writing it.) Its highly summarized, but has good potential. If anyone is interested in me fleshing it out, I happily will. I need motivation. XD;;;

Again, all the characters are mine. This is not based on any existing show or movie.

"We are among the last true magical families left. Counting in my family, there are only two others, neither as competent in magic as ours, but magical nonetheless." He explained.

"That's…" I tried to find the words I wanted to say, but my mind was blank. "It just sounds so… impossible."

He smiled, as if this kind of reaction were normal, which, I suppose, it was. It's not every day that you find out your most favorite magician truly is a magician, and that his magic is real. He rested his hands above the empty crystal figurine on the table that sat between us. A soft glow spread over his hands like water, glowing and beautiful. The figurine picked up the glow as it began to twist and deform. It continued to twist and change until it was in the shape of an elegant dragon. The whole event caught the breath in my throat. Would I ever get used to seeing this? Probably not.

"Nothing is truly impossible in this world." He said as the glow faded.

"W- What happened to the other families? Surely there used to be more?" I prompted.

"Oh yes. Many." He replied. "Hundreds of magicians used to roam the world. Maybe even thousands." He leaned back in his chair. "It was the plague that began our descent. Many young magicians were killed by the disease. Others tried to use their magic to help the sick, but they only succeeded in getting it as well. Almost 1/3 of the magician population of the time was wiped out. Science cured it. Many started to believe it was us magicians who started the whole thing. We became the hunted and had to go into hiding. Then, when the world wars came, most of us saw a chance for freedom. We could use our powers in the war, and no one would notice. The magicians used the poisonous gasses to cover their own magic. In this way, even more died off. After that, there were hardly above 100 magicians. Radiation, disease, hunters, and for some, accidental inbreeding killed off the rest over time. Now, only two dozen true magicians are left."

"That's terrible." A sudden idea struck me then. "So, magic acts, were they…?"

"Started by real magicians? Yes. Given the label of illusions, people loved magic. Non-magic people soon learned tricks of their own that could pass for magic so they, too, joined the acts."

There was a loud banging on the door and his assistant, Melanie, poked her head in. "Helio, we must go."

A look passed over the magician's face that I couldn't read. He stood up and grabbed his coat. "Is everything packed?"

She nodded. "Hurry!" then she was gone.

"What's going on? Why the hurry?" I asked frantically. I didn't want him to go.

He took my hand in his and laid a soft kiss upon the back of it, as if this were Victorian England. "I must go, I'm sorry. If I don't, many bad things may happen." He then released my hand and moved for the door. He was just beginning to open the door when I turned.

"Someone's after you, aren't they?"

"Yes. Someone dangerous."

I ran over and grabbed his arm, clinging to it for dear life. "Let me go with you. Please."

"No." He tried to shake me loose, but I wouldn't let go. I couldn't.

"_Please!_ I'm begging you. Don't leave me here. I couldn't stand the thought. I know a place you could go. A place where you'd be safe, if only you take me." I looked up at him, at his dark beauty. "Please."

Melanie returned. "Helio! We _must_ go! Before it is too late!" She looked at me, then at him. "What's going on?"

"She wishes to come. I can't allow it."

"If she wants s to come, then let her. Whatever may happen to her will be her problem and hers alone, but we must get out of here. Right now."

Helio sighed. "Fine. Let's go."

I had no time to be relieved. Helio slipped out of my weakened grip and hurried off after his assistant. I had to run just to keep up. We hurried out the back door and into a large motor home that sat idling. An elderly woman was sitting in the passenger's seat, and when we got inside, I noticed an elderly man in the driver's seat. No sooner had the door been locked when the car lurched into motion.

There were two couches, one across from the other, in the middle of the motor home. Helio and I sat on one, while Melanie sat on the other. The older woman came and sat beside Melanie. She watched me closely, like a tiger watching its prey. "Who is that?" She demanded.

"She's come to many of my shows and wouldn't let me leave, so we had to bring her," Helio replied.

"Had to bring her? Helio, you know better. She could be nothing more than a spy for all you know!" She scolded. "What if she ki-"

"Mother!" Helio snapped, effectively cutting her off. "I'm not as reckless as you seem to think I am. She knew nothing of magicians until today. I checked her out myself. Do you think I'd remain in the same room alone with an enemy?"

I looked between the two, confused and astounded. _Mother?_

Helio turned to me then, as if he'd read my mind. "I apologize Hana. My mother is a bit… protective."

"She's your mother?"

Helio nodded. "Yes. This is my mother, Sophia, my father Oliver, and you know my little sister Melanie."

For three years, I remained with Helio and his family. During those three years, we traveled all over the country, and we even moved over to Europe. Another family was destroyed shortly after I joined them. I learned so very much about his family, and magicians in general. Helio even began using me as an assistant in his acts.

"So, Helio, I've been wondering for a while now, why doesn't Melanie have her own show?" I asked between acts one day.

Well," he said, coming to sit beside me, "She used to have an act of her own, long ago when she was much younger."

"What happened?" I held his hand, playing with his long, gentle fingers.

"She messed up. She used to much power in one of her acts. Enough to alert the audience. Some figured it was part of the act, but there was a hunter in the audience. There always is. He knew it for what it was and followed her. He nearly killed her, but I managed to get there quick enough to save her. That hunter is the one who's after us now. But ever since then, Melanie's been too afraid to host her own act, so she just helps me with mine."

I rested my head on his shoulder. "That's terrible. At least you two are okay."

He put an arm around my shoulders. "Yes, but it made us more cautious. We've been successfully outrunning them for nearly nine years."

The door suddenly burst out of the frame. A tall man entered, pointing a gun at Helio. "You lot are a pain in the ass to find, you know that?"

Helio and I stood slowly, watching the gun like hawks. "I'm sorry," Helio said carefully.

The man grinned evilly, raising the pistol an inch. "You will be."

My heart pounded a mile a minute, and actually skipped a beat when he cocked the gun. Helio put himself further in front of me. "Helio… no…" The tip of the man's finger twitched. I grabbed Helio and let myself fall to the floor, dragging him with me a second before the gun went off.

Helio yelped, cradling his arm. The hunter cursed and changed his aim. Helio raised his good hand, facing his palm toward the guy as if he were going to ward off a bullet. Instead, the gun flew upwards and landed out of everyone's reach. A burst of power flew from Helio's hand and hit the hunter head on, sending him flying into the wall, where he fell, unconscious.

Helio got up, using the couch to help, then turned to help me up. "Let's hurry, before he wakes up."

I nodded, following him out the door. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. It's just my arm, nothing serious." He replied.

When the exit was within sight, another door flew open. Both of us tensed immediately, expecting the hunter to return with another gun, but it wasn't the hunter who emerged.

"Melanie!" Helio yelped, the relief obvious on his face. "C'mon, the hunter'll probably wake soon."

We hurried out the back door and found the motor home not far away. "Father! We have to leave!" Helio panted as we surged inside. Melanie closed and locked the door, but other than that and our breathing, there was no reply.

"Father?" Melanie called. "Mother?" She went to their bedroom, but found nothing. "They're gone."

Helio sat heavily on one of the couches, his breathing ragged and uneven. "Then the hunter got them. We have to go. Now."

I knelt beside him. "Helio, whats wrong? Are you okay?"

The vehicle roared to life. Melanie appeared beside me. "I'll tend to him, you go drive."

"But…"

"Go!"

Reluctantly, I did as she told. It took me a moment for it to click that there weren't any keys in the ignition. "How is the car running?" There was no reply. "Melanie? Helio? Are you guys okay?" I glanced behind me. Both of them were unconscious on the couch. My stomach did somersaults. For now, all I could do is pray that they were okay. I had to get away from that city or they might actually die.

It was well into the night before I heard anything from deeper in the motor home. "Helio? Melanie?" I asked, focusing on the road. I heard a groan that sounded too deep to be female.

"Melanie? Melanie!" I glanced back. Helio was kneeling beside his sister, shaking her gently.

"Is she okay?" I asked.

There was a long silence, then Helio's broken voice. "She's… dead…"

I nearly slammed on the brakes right then and there. I could already feel tears beginning to form. "_What?_ She cant be! How?" Once again, he didn't reply. When I glanced back, he was sitting with Melanie's head in his lap. I pulled off into the nearest spot I could: a rest stop. As soon as I let go of the steering wheel, the motor home turned off. I ignored it and went to join Helio.

We sat in silence for a long time, neither quite able to believe that she was gone. "She took the poison… even though she knew…"

"What poison?" I asked softly.

"Most hunters use specially made bullets that are filled with poison, that way they don't have to worry about hitting a vital spot. As long as the bullet hits some part of the person, they're dead. We have an old spell that transfers the poison to the one casting the spell, and she…"

I put my hand on his arm. "Helio… I'm so sorry…"

He took a deep breath. "We have to bury her."

A few hours later, we were back on the road. "So, whats going to happen now?" I asked.

Helio sighed and shook his head. "We lie low. The hunter will think I'm dead by now, so that might make things a bit easier. Maybe we could even get a real house. New house, new names, new looks, new everything."

I looked over at him. "What about the magic show?"

"Its best if I just disappear from the eye of the television for now. Besides. I'm done. I don't want to put on the shows anymore. I can get a regular job."

I smiled. "Yea. Maybe that is a good idea."


End file.
